Mexican Restaurants – Page 18

El Portal for Breakfast and AppeThai Revisted

August 18, 2016 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

A couple of quick revisits for a nice Thursday.

Breakfast at El Portal:

I'm always looking for options for a weekend breakfast while performing all those "honey-doo" tasks and was recently reminded that El Portal (has it really been that long?) serves breakfast and they open at 7am. I literally pass this place daily.

It's been over a decade since I last visited, but the place looks the same. I got the basic Huevos a l Mexicana; which was pretty hefty for $7.05.

Eggs scrambled with peppers, onions, and tomato…topped with cheese. Potatoes from the fryer, a load of fairly salty beans, and tortillas. The coup de grace….a bag of chips. I covered things in pico de gallo and could not finish this. Nothing fancy, nothing amazing….but if you're looking to eat nothing until dinner this might do.

A bit too much for me…….

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill
4101 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

AppeThai:

**** AppeThai has closed

***

Well, it's been a good 10 months since I last visited. It had been one of those mornings; so hectic that the last thing I really wanted to think about was lunch. So I just headed down Convoy and decided to stop at AppeThai.

I did enjoy the Tod Man KhaoPod – Fried Corn Fritters on my previous visits, so I ordered that along with one of those "pick the protein, pick the prep" lunches that many Thai places serve.

The Corn Fritters are now four bucks a pop and this, while still crisp and sweet, also had a slight flavor of old oil.

Kind of fried, I just went ahead and ordered "whatever", which in this case was the Roasted Duck with Spicy Bamboo Shoots ($10.50).

Needless to say, I should have just told them to forget about the insipid soup, the smear of cream cheese in a wonton….well….the salad wasn't too bad.

When my entrée arrived, I took one look and was quite disappointed.

It looked like this wasn't even stir-fried; there was no color; the duck a sad grey, the veggies almost raw….did they put this in a microwave? It was, other than having a small stash of Thai Chilies hiding at the bottom of this fairly bland. The rubbery duck had a bit of flavor; but this wasn't quite what I signed up for.

No wok hey, it's like they made it in a non-stick pan at too low a heat…… Very disappointing.

There were no other customers during my entire meal. I'm not sure this place is going to make it.

Appethai
4813 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

La Sinaloense- Mexican and Seafood (Spring Valley)

May 29, 2016 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for taking the time to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, on this long weekend, culminating in Memorial Day and its observance. Kirk is out of the Country while Ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma and Cathy is in East County, writing today's post.

Lately, I've had the chance to visit Spring Valley, which I suppose some of you might consider 'East County'. The area is neighborhoods interspersed with small businesses and parks (as well as a large and busy weekend Swap Meet).Taking the 54 to the Jamacha Road exit, heading East, the road name changes to Apple Street at Grand Avenue and La Sinaloense is at the North East corner. I think I saw it for the first time in 2012, but it may have been sooner. In any case, it is under New Management (family owned) and serves breakfast all day and has a Mexican/seafood centric menu.There is plenty of covered outdoor seating as well as a handful of indoor tables at this established location.Chips and salsa are brought out before ordering. {Breakfasts will be a separate post; served all day and fairly basic, with the unique choices including Ortega chili, chorizo, pork chops and chicken breast.}

Usually a cup of consommé and plate of limes (or lemons, depending on what is in season) is brought out after you place your order. The consommé is a slow simmered soup with a variety of vegetables.The shrimp quesadilla ($8.25) is a meal in itself. Large, plump, flavorful shrimp are used.The 'Filete al Mojo de Ajo' ($11.50) Pretty much a garlic and butter sauce on a nice thick piece of lightly floured and sautéed sea bass. This was quite amazing in size and flavors.

There is a separate, one page, two sided menu which you may receive or have to ask for. It is not written in english, has no explanations, quite a few photos and some prices.

The shrimp in culichi sauce plate ($13) was wonderful. The poblano-cream sauce and large shrimp were just perfect together.

Likewise, a culichi shrimp taco ($4) as well as a simple fish taco ($1.75) (fish tacos are $1 all day Monday) also were enough to make a meal.

On that smaller menu is a photo of some stuffed clamshells (Almeja gratinada) (one clam/two halves is $7; this plate was $14). There was minced clam, scallop, 'crab' and tender squid, topped with cheese and bacon. A wonderful, flavorful hot dish. I think one order would be enough, depending on what else you are having (various salads are on the menu).

Also on the other menu is listed a Botana for $22. Essentially an appetizer of cold mixed seafood (in this case freshly cured in lemon and lime juice/a sort of ceviche) we asked if we could have a larger order ($30). Two types of shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, snail along with cucumber, onion, avocado and cilantro served in a giant lava stone molacajete (the mortar part of a mortar and pestle). So fresh, so flavorful, so large (we took home leftovers in a quart container) so very good. Other people in the restaurant asked to take a photo of our order, so I didn't feel self conscious of taking more photos myself.

We have returned here many times and will probably have tried out the entire menu at some point soon.

La Sinaloense Restaurant 9410 Apple Street Spring Valley CA 91977 (619)933-2992 Open Sun-Thurs 7a.m.-9 p.m., Fri & Sat 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Yuma’s Mad Tacos

May 24, 2016 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food and travel. Today, Kirk is traveling, Cathy is busy eating, and Ed (from Yuma) is blogging.

"You eaten at Mad Tacos?" It was my friend and former colleague, Dawn.

"What? Where?" She then explained that it had won some awards and was supposed to be really good, and asked if I wanted to join her and a couple other folks there for lunch on an upcoming Friday.

The answer to "Where?" was a little complicated as well, because Mad Tacos is inside a pharmacy, Sant Drugs, that has had a lunch counter ever since the days when lunch counters and soda fountains were commonplace in drugstores and five and dimes:
This is what an old-fashioned lunch counter looks like:

Here is the view in the other direction:

With such limited seating, and being open only weekdays from 8:30-6 pm, how can they stay in business? This pic is part of the answer to that question:

Every time I've eaten there, people have come in for takeout, sometimes a lot of takeout.

So why is this little place really busy? I think because the food is really good and the prices are really cheap.

Case in point – Friday is fish taco day, so this taco cost $1 on a Friday (prices as of May, 2016):

There is nothing skimpy about that taco. There are numerous chunks of breaded fish and a lot of toppings including spiced mayo. And if you like your fish tacos to have some crunch, you won't find a better one in town, crackling crunchy.

What's more, the two house salsas are excellent:

The one on the left is the guacamole sauce, smooth and creamy from the avocado, with a lime tang and a spicy zip. Really excellent on the fish tacos, but also great on some of the meats, like asada.

The sauce on the right is a complex, smoky, dried chili salsa. This is not a chip dipping salsa, it is a spicing up flavor booster, perfect for a lot of things like these tostadas (regularly 2 for $5, but Thursdays $1 apiece):

So good. Underneath the cotija cheese, pickled red onions, chopped lettuce and tomato, and spicy mayo, lurked pieces of carnitas and a nice smear of frijoles. Even the crunchy tortilla was first rate, substantial enough that I could eat most of the tostadas with my hands and get no fallout on my shirt.

And if you look carefully at the salsa, you can see numerous tiny flakes, flecks, and bits, many red, but others green, black, white, yellow, and translucent. The complexity of a pointillist painting.

Maybe the most amazing lunch special is rolled taco Monday. Potato tacos at $.50 apiece. So this is a $3 plate:

The quality is also superb. The mashed potato is copious and flavorful, and the shell is deep fried crispy.

As I was leaving that day, I mentioned to Mannie (the head cook and proprietor) that his rolled tacos were better than my previous favorites at Buen Taquito up the street.

"Yeah," he said, "they don't flavor the mashed potatoes and their salsa is real basic." A spot on evaluation, and he could’ve added that his are larger in addition to better tasting. But his answer showed that he knows the competition, pays attention, and focuses on quality.

That's also evident in this bacon wrapped hot dog ($4):

While not as overloaded as some bacon dogs, the grilled and charred onions, chopped tomatoes, spiced mayo, mustard, and ketchup are enough, and the real focus here is on the quarter pound sausage:

That's a good hot dog. It has the right texture, excellent flavors, and abundant juiciness.

The quality also shows up in the plate of 3 tacos (choice of pastor, asada, carnitas, pollo, or pescado), a good value at $6:

In the photo, I’ve got a pastor, a fish, and an asada taco. There was a lot of asada:

and I was particularly impressed with the seasonings and grilling of the pastor:

Similarly, the chicken at Mad Tacos is not just bland generic white meat, but is nicely spiced and grilled. Look at this quesadilla ($4):

About as good as a quesadilla can be. The grilling of the tortilla is perfect, the cheese melted creamy, the chicken flavorful, and the roasted green chili strips abundant.

One day I decided to try takeout, so I called in an order for a chicken burrito ($6). When I walked to the counter, everything was almost ready, so Mannie could assemble it quickly, and my burrito was perfectly fresh and nicely packaged:

That burrito was also very tasty:

I realize that a lot of folks don't like lettuce in their burritos, but here the lettuce, pico de gallo, refritos, and abundant guac sauce complemented the warm spicy chicken chunks.

So is everything at Mad Tacos really great? Well, truth be told, the french fries ($3), are pretty ordinary:

Not bad, but not great. Otherwise most things here are real good eats and real good value. Thanks, Dawn.

What’s My Craving? The Mariscos el Pescador Truck

May 2, 2016 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

I readily admit, I got kinda tired of Hipster Tacos after the fourth place (post coming up one of these days). One morning, I just wanted some good tacos; places like El Gordo (which I haven't been to in a couple of years and haven't posted on in ages), La Fachada, El Poblano, and even Fernandez, But I had been wondering how the Mariscos el Pescador Truck was doing. It had been a couple of years since I last visited.

I shouldn't have worried about how business was…..the place was pretty busy even at 1030 in the morning!

I went with two old favorites of mine; the Gobernador and a Tacos de Marlyn.

Which came with the free cup of consommé. My experience with the broth is a mixed bag. On days when it's on, it's tangy, rich, full of shrimp-seafood flavor. It truly has the "aaah" factor. On other days, it's weak, with flavors not balancing out. On this day, it was spot on. Just plain delicious with a squeeze of lime to cut the brininess.

The Gobernador was a bit of a disappointment.

It had a nice amount of plump shrimp, but was missing the right complement of griddled onions and peppers which add flavor and balance to the taco. There also wasn't enough cheese melted on the tortilla, an important touch which keeps it from breaking apart. It wasn't bad, just not at the level I'd expect from El Pescador. Overall, I still prefer the versions with tomato in it as it adds a nice touch of acid.

The Taco de Marlyn on the other hand was almost a work of art.

The smoked fish was moist, just tender enough, with a ton of flavor. Adding cilantro and a squeeze of lime brings all the saltiness into line. This was a much larger portion than I recalled and not fishy like other versions I've had.

I was tempted to head on over to El Gallito across the parking lot but I was stuffed. There's a reason that all these locheras change hands so much and El Pescador doesn't. A loyal clientele and good tacos.

Mariscos El Pescador (In the parking lot pf RTA/Toys R Us)
1008 Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911

2 Yuma Trucks: Mariscos Güero and Taqueria San Pedro

April 26, 2016 ed fromyuma Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

mmm-yoso!!! is a foodblog focusing on San Diego and the world. Kirk posts most, Cathy posts often, and today Ed (from Yuma) posts this.

Every year the Yuman food truck culture spawns more spots. Here's a couple:

Mariscos Güero

Angie, Tina's manager at work, was raving about a fantastic seafood molcajete at a place on Ave B, just a little south of 8th Street. So a couple of weeks later Tina and I found the place, Mariscos Güero, tucked behind another truck on the east side of B:

There are a few tables and folding chairs sheltered under canvas with windbreaks on all sides. On the truck there’s a menu with no prices (though prices are fair):

On our first visit, in the evening, there were few customers (and the nice folks at the truck said they would be closing evenings once the main season was over). At weekday lunch, the place can be quite busy:

On our first visit, Tina and I had a molcajete:

It was packed with cooked shrimp, octopus, and surimi. The seafood was mixed with large slices of red onion and cucumber pieces, all topped with generous wedges of avocado. The sauce was exceptional –flavors of seafood, lime, chili spice, and even a touch of soy sauce. Overall very good.

We also ordered a ceviche tostada:

Also very good. The sweetness of the fresh raw and cooked shrimp came through the lime. The fresh chopped onions and cucumbers and crunchy tortilla gave textural balance.

On my next visit, I ordered two fish and one shrimp taco:

Here's a close-up of a fish taco:

The tortilla, cabbage, and tomato were fresh and fine, but the crema was awfully thin and lacking in flavor. While the breading on the seafoods was not crunchy, neither the fish nor shrimp were overcooked so they tasted fresh and moist.

On my last visit, it was time for a campechana:

That's huge. And it is filled with a lot of good stuff:

When I ordered the mixed seafood cocktail, I was asked if I wanted it with "blood clam." "Sure," I answered, "con todo." I hadn't run across a campechana with blood clam (also known as concha negra, black clam) since Tio Juan’s disappeared from 8th Street. Here is one of them:

I did not know that some websites list blood clam as one of the most dangerous foods in the whole world. Of course, my old seafood purveyors in Monterey sell them, so maybe not all that deadly.

In any case, I am still alive and feeling good, so I guess I dodged another bullet (picture smiley face of your choice here). I also had the joy of consuming a really wonderful campechana. The octopus and shrimp were not overcooked. The surimi had a pleasant sweetness that I liked. But the mollusks were the stars: the abundant octopus had a perfect chewiness and octopus flavor; the clams had a different chew and were distinctly clammy; and the few fresh bay scallops were tender and lightly flavored. The cocktail juice tasted of cooking water, tomato sauce, (Clamoto?), lime juice, and a hint of soy. With a little bit of salsa it was perfect for my palate.

Taqueria San Pedro

This taco stand on 8th Street has long been a favorite of Tina and me. Though they quit serving hotdogs, their carne asada and other tacos, as well as the attractive ramada area, made it a good place for a quick dinner.

We had noticed, however, that the place seemed to be deteriorating slowly – the leather seats becoming ragged and torn. Then one evening San Pedro was not open. No sign and no sign of life. Oh well, we shrugged, that's the world of taco trucks.

A couple of months ago, we were cruising 8th Street and saw billows of fragrant looking smoke rising from the back of a lot. "Oh My God," Tina exclaimed, "it's San Pedro!" And so it was:

Pedro himself was still there being grillmaster. But the interior had been renovated – now more closed off and refurnished:

Wow. Fancy tables and chairs, a tiled floor, even a heater. The menu, still very small, is on every napkin dispenser:

After we ordered, the first thing brought over was a cup of frijoles:

Good, simple pinto beans in a light broth. Good by themselves, but made even better by adding some of the condiments:

Notice the spicy and the roasted salsa. The guacamole sauce was thinner than eight years ago, and many of the other items were nothing special. However, we really enjoyed the mild and fresh pico de gallo:

and loved the roasted jalapenos, mellowed and sweetened by the grill:

Then came volcanes:

Basically, a volcan is just a vampira except that the cheese goes atop the carne asada rather than between the meat and the desiccated corn tortilla. This was excellent, crunchy and toothsome with meaty asada.

The taco San Pedro is another Sonoran specialty, matching cheese, roasted green chile pepper, and quality asada:

This night, the cabeza was decent but nothing special:

What was our favorite? The tripa:

Tripa is difficult to get right. Sometimes too musty, often too rubbery, and usually too flavorless. This one, however, was perfect. Crunchy in places with a little char, and what was not crunchy was tender chewy. Porky good. Yum.

Tina and I are happy that San Pedro lives again.

City Tacos

April 4, 2016 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

Over the last year, I went ahead and checked out several of our "hipster" taco shops. I've already posted on ¡Salud! and will probably get around to the rest eventually. Of these taco shops, the only one I took the Missus to was City Tacos; I think Salud has better tortillas, Perla is definitely tops in the salsa department, but I think City Tacos, which I recall first hearing about from Candice and then "CC" was the overall best of the lot. It's a small, cramped space, you order at the counter, pay, are given a placard with a number…..

The salsa bar is nice in that they encourage you to try the various salsas, though not quite inspiring on jicama first. I usually just go for the rojo, though there's one that's basically chili oil…..the Missus, She needs no salsa for the tacos She enjoys.

What's quite fascinating is that the Missus treats City Tacos as an alternative to Tiger! Tiger! when She wants to grab a beer at Toronado. So I'll let you know what the Missus enjoys here first.

Numero Uno would be the Puerco Agri Dulce….basically chunks of pork tenderloin with pineapple.

Disregarding the rather strange fried noodle thingy; which I guess is added for texture, the Missus loves the "sweet-sour" flavors of this taco. It's one of Her favorites. The tortilla on this is perfect as it just adds a bit of "breadiness".

As is the Chorizo Asado, which to me is pretty plain, but the Missus loves Her chorizo and also the milkiness of the cheese.

Number three, which could have easily have been numero uno (for the Missus, not me) is the Portobello con Vegetales.

The main reason is that we've never had it the same way twice…..once there wasn't any greens on it, the next time it was amazingly good (photo above), the cheese had been griddled to a wonderful crispy texture, the next time it was just melted. Personally, I'm not sold on veggie tacos, but give me something with that cheese crisp from the comal with black beans and corn….

I usually order the "Borrego", though those tacos have wildly varied as well.

I once got it ice cold, the last time I ordered it, there were some delicious fried veggies on top. The lamb is very tasty….I just wish for some consistency.

We also like the Carnitas when they have it.

Nicely porky….In spite of questioning the addition of mangos to this……it was tasty, even with the Missus's edict of "no salsa". The corn tortilla was perfect for this.

As a whole, we're not big fans of the seafood offerings here; I had the tacos de pescado (no photo) which was really fishy and not very tasty. The El Especial really wasn't much better.

Tough and rubbery octopus and squid, overly fishy flavors, just didn't do it for us.

The Mahi Adobo wasn't much more pleasant either….

It could be that in a "previous life" I had to deal with a ton of Mahimahi and understand how quickly it "sours"……but to me, this was too fishy and "sour". You can easily get a good tacos de marlyn from a Mariscos truck that would be much better than this.

Overall, we've figured out what we (the Missus) enjoys from City Tacos and it's a nice stop for us in the area when the Missus is craving some tacos. One of the women who work here is very nice. We've even taken the tacos to go….they put them in a pastry box, you know, like when you order a dozen donuts, and ate them at Poseidon.

City Tacos
3028 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Tacos El Zamy – Yuma

March 28, 2016 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk and Cathy are really busy today, so another post by Ed (from Yuma).

When the long defunct Indian restaurant on 4th Ave. was transformed into a taco shop, the change was instantly apparent:

So of course I had to drop in and see what was going on. On my first visit, if memory serves, they were serving only quesadillas, or pastor, asada, or cabeza tacos, so I ordered three tacos. I was pleasantly surprised when a wheel of condiments showed up on my table:

The guacamole sauce was pretty standard, as was the salsa, cabbage, onion/cilantro, and lime wedges. I enjoyed the thick slices of cucumber which I dipped in the guacamole sauce and topped with a little salsa. My taco shop appetizer.

Looking around, I could tell that the new owners had painted the inside as well as the outside, cleaned the place up, and put in new furniture:

The tacos were decent, if nothing really special:

All the meats, even the very red pastor, were lightly seasoned – the basic flavors coming through.

On my next few visits, it was clear that the restaurant was thriving with customers in the front, back, and side room:

No longer was the young son of the family wandering around amazed at the restaurant and the customers. Many more choices were written on a whiteboard:

Wow, a vampira – gotta try one of those:

Crunchy, meaty, cheesy. Yep.

Covered with fresh chopped lettuce and tomato and sprinkled with crumbly cotija cheese, a beef and frijoles sope was tasty as well:

The beefy rolled tacos (topped with cabbage) had plenty of crunch:

And I could wash everything down with real Mexican Coca-Cola:

Since this is an independent family restaurant, there is some variation from visit to visit. For example, most of the time the chicken taco looks like this:

But one day, the chicken had lingered longer on the grill and had a more interesting crispy texture:

On that same visit, the cabeza was really outstanding, muy rico:

And of course, all of these things came with that same condiment wheel.

And Tacos El Zamy continues to get better. The whiteboard has been replaced by this electronic menu:

And the wheel of condiments comes with an extra spicy salsa on the side:

One thing that hasn't changed is the friendly and personal service. I have always been well treated. For example, when I recently ordered three tacos, my friendly server reminded me that at El Zamy 4 tacos are only $5. I couldn't resist what was basically a $.50 taco, so this platter soon showed up at my table:

The cabeza, chicken, and pastor were pretty much the same as before, but the birria (de res) was wonderful – rich and savory.

I couldn't quit thinking about that birria, so on my most recent visit I ordered the birria plate (after all, this post wouldn't be complete without trying one of the plates, right?):

The wheel of condiments and the warm corn tortillas on the side were fine. And even though the rice was subpar and the beans a bit runny, the birria was really great. I left happy and satisfied.

In many ways, El Zamy is like a taco truck in a building, featuring many of the basic taco truck favorites done well. Unlike a taco truck, the restaurant offers protection from wind and weather. The ambience – such as it is – makes this the kind of place where a Yuman could give Cousin Fred and his wife Nancy from Nebraska a good quality authentic Yuma taco experience without subjecting them to plastic chairs, a dirt parking lot, and inclement weather. And the food is good and prepared with love.

Tacos El Zamy, 2071 S. 4th Ave, (928) 366-3269 or (928) 817-2461

Sunday Sandwiches: Revisits to SuperNatural Sandwiches, Zgara Grill, Best Donuts, Havana Grill, and Cali Baguette Express

February 21, 2016 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Cuban Restaurants, Greek Food, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood

Here's a round-up of sandwiches I had in the weeks leading up tour trip. I just realized I really circled the globe on this one.

SuperNatural Sandwiches:

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

It had been a couple of months so I thought I'd drop by after a meeting close by. I had the Siren of course.

These guys sure have the consistency down; the buttery brioche roll, nice plump shrimp, creamy aioli, a little kick of heat. My colleague from the Midwest still mentions the sandwiches during our conversations. Must have made an impression.

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121

Zgara Grill:

**** Update Zgara Greek Grill has reopened on Morena Boulevard

Another favorite that I hadn't been to in a while. They've now got a lunch special, a sandwich with fries and a drink…..don't quite remember the price as I was enjoying talking to the owner.

Crisp pork gyro…..just like Greece! Well seasoned, crisp, enrobed in a nice warm pita. The owner also gave me a little cup of a nice sauce which went well with the fries. I need to come here more often….it's cheaper than a flight to Athens.

Zgara Greek Grill
1730 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Best Donuts Bakery & Deli:

**** Best Donuts is now Barrio Donas

Heading to work early (530 am) with no time for lunch on my schedule. The solution? A stop at Best Donuts for the A la Mexicana.

Warm and fluffy bolillo, eggs, a smear of beans, gooey melted cheese, salsa, jalapenos (to wake me up), and tomato. What's not to like? I'm sure there are little shops like this everywhere….it's just a matter of finding them.

Best Donuts Bakery & Deli
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Havana Grill:

The nice folks here have put up their "Grand Opening" sign so I thought I'd drop by. There seems to have been a few changes to the menu from my previous visits, but the place looks like it's doing well. Nice change of pace for the area and heck, Faye seems to like the place. Not having much time, I took my El Cubano to go.

The sandwich seems to have a bit less meat than before, but in terms of proportion things went well together. The pork still has flavor and isn't "the other white meat", the Swiss cheese adds a nice milky flavor……and those pickles, well they add the acid and tartness to the sandwich. I do enjoy the plantain chips, which are sliced very thin, thus making it crisp. I need to head back to Embargo Grill for the Medianoche and compare.

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Cali Baguette Express – Convoy:

**** This location of Cali Baguette Express is now Cali Banh Mi

Banh Mi Trung is probably one of my favorite breakfast items….though perhaps I'd take a good noodle soup or natto gohan with egg ahead of it. Cali Express is an easy choice, they bake their own bread (though I think Paris makes a better baguette) and who can deny the wonderfulness of a fried egg sandwich with Maggi on it?

And don't forget about the sneaky jalapeno….now that'll wake you up, right? Again, it's about ratios and proportion to me……the pickled veggies, the fried egg, the light and airy bread, cilantro….you get the point, right?

Cali Baguette Express
4425 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111

Canela- Mexico City Cuisine (El Cajon)

February 5, 2016 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Canela has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!! a food blog written by friends Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy. Today, Cathy is writing.

Kirk has been posting non-stop most of this year, all the while working a lot of overtime; he (and His Missus) need a vacation. I've got plenty of places to write about and so does Ed (from Yuma), so we will be posting about some new places and foods we have consumed.

In an obscure mall, (anchored by Boot Barn) located South West of Parkway Plaza at Johnson and Arnele, there used to be a family-owned taco shop which had enough walk in business that they never advertised or offered coupons. It was a great place that I never blogged about; a secret. After almost 20 years, that family retired. Around August, another family took over and opened Canela.Located at the corner of the buildings, it could be easily missed. Inside is not too large, with about five barstool height tables and five booths.
It is a walk up, order, pay and have a seat type of place. It is a not a taco shop. Yes, there are tacos and burritos on the menu, but look closely (the two thumbnails are of a current menu)..there are sopes, hurraches, mole, soups (including pozole and mole de olla). This is Mexico City cuisine, made to order and of high quality.
Eating in, a small order of chips and (house made) salsas are brought out while you wait. The first visit, a few months ago, had me only ordering a plain quesadilla ($4)…I had recently been to a taco shop that served a flour tortilla filled with slices of American cheese and was wary (no, I won't even post about it). This was an excellent simple meal- the tortilla was fresh and the cheese was meltier than usual, in a good way.
Returning with The Mister, I was eager to try an enchilada, along with each of the house-made sauces (which were completely different than the red and green sauces that are brought out with the chips-you already know I'm obsessive about sauces)($2.25 each). These cheese filled house made corn tortillas, topped with the mild green and perkier red sauces were excellent. (There is an enchilada combo plate I could have ordered, but they did not want to mix the sauces on the plate. I still don't know which sauce I liked more.) The Mister ordered a tostada bowl ($6.25), thinking it would be mostly salad, but it was mostly beef. A nice, flavorful almost asada beef. It was so good.
When we were leaving, there were no other customers and I remarked that I like sauces and was curious about the mole negro. The nice ladies working gave us a sample to try. I could taste the sweetness of cinnamon, raisin and Mexican chocolate along with garlic and oregano. There was also a distinctive nut flavor along with at least three different chiles – pasilla, ancho and smoky chipotle.
When we went back last week, the mole negro plate ($9.50) was ordered. There was also mole pipian (green mole that is sort of tangy and with a spicy/heat flavor, opposed to the sweetness of negro) available. The smooth, black mole was served over two chicken breast pieces with rice and refried beans.This blended with the chicken and rice and was lovely just plain on a spoon. The multiple flavors of of the mole were even more pronounced, probably because there was a good amount on the plate.

Wanting to try a Mexico City Style quesadilla ($6), which is fried, there were a few choices of filling: mushroom, squash blossom or, as you can see above, huitlacoche. This was the most interesting version of a quesadilla because of the melted stringy Oaxaca cheese mixed with the delightful corn smut all in a perfectly fried fresh made corn and flour shell.
The light snack of a fresh made huarache ($6) was shared. This fresh thin and flat fried corn masa shell was topped with refried beans and the same marinated beef as we had with the tostada bowl. That's a good Mexican crema on top of everything; much nicer than sour cream.

A great addition to the East County.

Canela Mexico City Cuisine 795 Arnele Avenue El Cajon 92020 (619) 729-9952 opens at 9 a.m. daily (it is open on Sunday)

The beverages here, jamaica, horchata, atole and (above) champurrado are made from scratch. As I mentioned, quality.

Fried Skins- Chicharrones of the land, air and sea.

November 28, 2015 Cathy Filipino Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, food blog. Today, Cathy is writing a short post, not about any particular restaurant, but about some particular food items. Ed (from Yuma) has a nice post coming up tomorrow. Kirk is still out of the country and enjoying his international vacationing.

In 2011, Kirk wrote a great post about fried animal skins, quite a few were -ahem- less than common and difficult to find unless traveling internationally. I thought that writing a short post about commonly found chicharron would be nice. Dropping into any Mexican Market, you can probably find a variety of both pork and beef fried skins, some with meat attached (the far left) and some just the skin (second from left). Those are sold by the pound and can simply be eaten while wrapped in a corn tortilla, with or without some hot sauce.

The above is the counter at Northgate Gonzalez, a family owned and run Mexican grocery chain which I haven't posted about yet. Sometimes, in this same Mexican Markets, there is a steam tray area with stews and there is usually a choice of rojo (red) or verde (green) chicharron stews called guisados, which can be served taco style. Because the fried skins have been stewing, they are softened and not crispy, but still flavorful. The above are from Krist Liquor and Market. You can always order fresh made chicharrones by the 1/2 pound at Carnitas Uruapan.Long ago, I had mentioned fried chicken skin, dilis and bulaklak sold by the pound at Kababayan Market, which is now located in Spring Valley (I'll have a post about the new location soon).Fried chicken skins are my weakness and backup snack for just about every situation. I have also mentioned purchasing fried chicken skins at Chic-Boy in National City, because I know where to find fried skins when the craving strikes. Then there was the day we were at TJ Oyster Bar and I noticed the 'Starters' section of the menu while waiting in line at the newest location (again, I have a post forthcoming)…the second item, 'Chicharron Fish'.Hoping it would be a plate of these (above) fried fish tails, I was disappointed to see…this gigantic plate of more or less fish nuggets. But, oh what wonderful, meaty, lightly breaded nicely fried nuggets these were. The dipping sauce- umami- a deep, fishy, tart, lime-vinegar mix which went perfectly with the sliced raw onions. Not really skins, but fried and tasty.

I hope your long weekend is going well. It's not over!